Students at play at the original Wauconda Grade School, which was built 100 years ago as a four-classroom facility.
Courtesy of Wauconda Grade School
Marking a milestone at Wauconda Grade School has grown into a celebration involving the entire community.
Social media alerts have been posted, parents and alumni notified, a huge banner hoisted and the word spread by businesses and organizations in town, about events planned Saturday to mark the 100th anniversary of the school.
“We believe this is history in the making and we are determined to make this a lasting memory for everyone,” Principal Debra Monroe said.
Wauconda Grade School is celebrating 100 years with a variety of events Saturday, including tours, a meet and greet with former teachers and staff, speakers and displays of historical information.
Courtesy of Wauconda Grade School
The ball began rolling when David Wilm, superintendent of Wauconda Unit School District 118, noted that many alumni would be in town for Wauconda High’s Homecoming Weekend and suggested the grade school may want to be on the parade route.
“Typically, we’re not in the homecoming (festivities) but this year is a special year for us,” Monroe said.
A host of activities and attractions are planned inside and outside the school, which opened along Osage Street in 1924 as a four-classroom facility. The building has undergone additions in the late 1940s, the 1950s and the 1980s.
Building tours Saturday will include stops in those first classrooms, which still have the original floors and host classes.
“They (students) love being in those old rooms because they have so much character,” Monroe said.
Classroom doors will be decorated to depict school life from 1924 to the present, while poster boards, photos and other anniversary-themed materials will be displayed in the gym.
Presentations and speakers are planned and a meet and greet with former staff and teachers is considered a highlight. Former teacher Annie Peterson, 95, is among the honored guests.
“She’s coming and she’s going to speak,” Monroe said. “We have a lot of other teachers coming back.”
Outside school, the Hot Ground Gym mobile obstacle course will appeal to students of all ages. Police and fire department members will be grilling hot dogs out back and a DJ, vintage vehicles and police dog demonstrations also will be featured.
The school has teamed with the village, Wauconda Township and Wauconda Area Chamber of Commerce in what Monroe said will be a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Wauconda Grade School is one of six in District 118 with facilities serving students pre-K through high school. Originally, it and several others operated independently in Wauconda and surrounding towns before consolidating.
“This centennial celebration has been the most fun and incredibly rewarding event we have ever put together,” Monroe said.
Wauconda Grade School was built in 1924 and initially featured four classrooms. There have been several additions through the years. The school is celebrating 100 years Saturday.
Courtesy of Wauconda Grade School